Indicating mechanism for timepieces.



O. E. GISET. INDIGATING MECHANISM FOR TIMEPIECE$. APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1912.

1,061,171. Patentd May 6,1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

0. B. GISET. INDIGATING MECHANISM FOR TIMEPIEGES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAYQ, 1912.

Patented May 6; 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I INVENTOR OIa'F E. Gise') A TTOR/VEYS I arr/4 31 7% Ill/I42 WITNESSES OLAF EIVIND GISET, OF NEW YORK,

N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO A. WITTNAUER & 00., OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.

INDICA'IING MECHANISM FOR TIMEPIECES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1913.

Application filed May 9, 1912. Serial No. 696,083.

b all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLAF E. GIsr/r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Indicating Mechanism for Timepieces, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved indicating mechanism for watches, clocks and other timepieces,

and arranged to indicate the wound up state wound up state of the main spring at anypiece and time.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in

which similar characters of reference inclicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a face view of a watch provided with the indicating mechanism and showing the pointer in position when the mainspring is run down; Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the indicating mechanism, the dial and pointer being removed; Fig. 8 is an inverted plan view of the same; Fig. 4: is an enlarged transverse section of the indicating mechanism; Fig. 5 isan inverted sectional plan view of part of the indicating mechanism; Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the gearing connected with the barrel for driving the screw rod in one direction; Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevation of the gearing for driving the screw rod from the crown wheel of the timepiece, the driving pinion being shown in section; Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the worm wheel driven from the barrel; Fig. 9 is an enlarged plan view of the screw rod; Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional plan view of the worm wheel driven from the ,readily applied to other timepieces.

crown wheel; and Fig. 11 is a plan view of the actuating lever for the pointer.

The improved indicating mechanism is illustrated in the drawings as applied to a watch A, of any approved construction, but the said indicating mechanism may be On the face of the dial of the watch A is arranged an hour graduation B arranged in the segment of a circle and indicating hours from zero to thirty, and on the said graduation B moves an oscillating pointer C to show the state or condition of the main spring of the watch at the time, that is, whether the said main spring is wound up or has run down, or how long it has been wound: up. When the pointer C is in zero position-the main spring is completely wound up and when the pointer C is on the other extreme of the graduation B, as shown in Fig. 1, then it indicates that the main spring has run thirty hours and is consequently run down, and when the pointer O is in an intermediate position it indicates the number of hours the main-spring has been running.

The arbor O carrying the pointer C is journaled on the framework of the timeis provided at the rear end with an arm D (see Fig. 2) pressed on by a spring E and in engagement with one end F of a lever F fulcrumed at F on the framework of the timepiece. The lever F is provided at its other end with an angular arm F projecting into the path of one end of a screw rod G (see Fig. 4;) having a threaded portion G and a polygonal portion G The threaded portion G of the screwrod G screws in the threaded hub H of a worm wheel H in mesh with a worm I having its spindle I journaled in suitable bearings arranged on the framework of the timepiece, and on the spindle I is secured a pinion I in mesh with the crown wheel J of the winding up mechanism of the timepiece, as plainly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. Thus when the timepiece is wound up and the crown wheel J is turned then the latter imparts a rotary motion to the pinion I whereby the spindle I and the worm I are rotated and the rotary motion of the worm I is transmitted to the worm wheel I-I so that the screw rod G screws in the hub H and is thus moved in the direction of its axis. Now as the angular arm F abuts gainst one end of the s rew rod G it is W Ill) dent that. when the latter moves in the direction of the arrow a a swinging motion is given to the lever F so that the latter-imparts aswinging motion to the arm whereby the arbor C of the pointerC is turned and the latter is caused to swing toward Zero on the graduation B. When the watch is fully wound up the pointer C points in Zero position on the graduation B.

The polygonal portion G of the screw rod G slidingly engages a correspondingly shaped bore in the hub K of a worm wheel K in mesh with a worm L having its spindle L journaled in suitable bearings on the framework of the timepiece. On the spindle L is secured a pinion L in mesh with the driving gear wheel N of the barrel contain; ing the main spring so that when the timepiece is running, the rotary motion of the gear wheel N is transmitted, to the pinion L to rotate the spindle L and consequently the worm wheel L which latter now rotates the worm wheel K whereby the screw rod G is turned in an opposite direction to that previously given the screw rod by the worm wheel H and consequently the screw rod Gr screws in the now stationary worm wheel H in the inverse direction of the arrows a so that the lever F is free to swing in the opposite direction thus imparting a swinging motion to the pointer C from the zero position on the graduation B toward the other end thereof thus indicating how long the main spring has been running. When the main spring of the timepiece has run down the lever F is in the position shown in Fig. 2, and its end F abuts against a shoulder O of a disk 0 fixed to the framework of the timepiece, as indicated in Fig. 2, thus limiting the forward movement of the lever F and consequently that of the arm D and pointer C. The hubs H and K of the worm wheels H and K are journaled in suitable hearings in the framework of the timepiece.

It is understood that when the timepiece is wound up the worm wheel H is rotated while the worm wheel K is at a standstill and consequently the threaded portion G of the screw rod G screws in the hub H whereby a traveling motion is given to the screw rod G in the direction of the arrow a, and when the timepiece is running the worm wheel H is stationary while the worm wheel K is rotated and consequently the screw rod G is turned in the same direction and thereby screws in the hub H to cause the screw rod to travel in the inverse direction of the arrow a. During this latter movement of the screw rod G the pointer C is caused to follow owing to the action of the spring E against the arm D which latter also returns the lever F to keep the end F thereof in engagement with the screw rod G.

In case the main spring should break and the user of the watch should wind up the same, then the screw rod G will finally unscrew itself in the hub H thus preventing injury to the indicating mechanism.

It will be noticed that the indicating mechanism described takes up very little room in the atch and can be readily applied to any timepiece as it requires no changing of the works.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An indicating mechanism for timepieces, comprising a time graduation indicating consecutive hours, an oscillating pointer indicating on the said graduation, a spring-pressed arm on the shaft of the pointer, a lever one end of which is engaged by the said arm, and a screw rod mounted to turn and to travel in the direc tion of its axis and engaging with one end the other end of said lever, the said screw rod being controlled in one direction. by the winding up mechanism of the timepiece to move the pointer in the direction of zero of the said graduation and controlled. in the opposite direction by the unwinding mechanism of the timepiece.

2. An indicating mechanism for timepieces, comprising a time graduation representing consecutive hours and beginning with zero, an oscillating pointer indicating on the said graduation, a screw rod mounted to turn and to travel in the direction of its axis, actuating means connecting the said screw rod with the said pointer, a gear wheel controlled by the winding up mechanism of the timepiece and connected with the screw rod to cause the same to travel in one direction on winding up the timepiece to move the pointer toward zero position on the said graduation, and a second gear wheel controlled by the unwinding mechanism of the timepiece and connected with the screw rod to cause the same to travel in the opposite direction to move the pointer from the zero position toward the other end of the graduation.

3. An indicating mechanism for timepieces, comprising a screw rod mounted to turn and to travel in the direction of its axis, an actuating lever controlled by the said screw rod, a pointer controlled by the said actuating lever, a gear wheel in which screws the said screw rod, means for turning the said gear wheel to move the screw rod lengthwise in one direction on winding up the main spring of the timepiece, a second gear wheel, the said screw rod being mounted to turn with the said second gear wheel and having a sliding connection therewith, and means for turning the said second gear wheel to move the screw rod lengthwise in the opposite direction on the running down of the main spring of the timepiece.

i An indicating mechanism for time pieces provided with a screw rod having a threaded portion and a polygonal portion, an index controlled by the said screw rod, and gear wheels of which one is driven by the winding up gearing of the timepiece and the other is driven by the unwinding gearing of the timepiece, one of the said gear wheels having a hub provided with an interior thread in which screws the said threaded portion of the screw rod and the other gear wheel having a hub provided with a polygonal bore into which fits slidingly the said polygonal portion of the said screw rod.

5. An indicating mechanism for timepieces, comprising a screw rod having a threaded portion and a polygonal portion, a gear wheel driven from the winding up gearing of the timepiece and having a threaded hub in which screws the threaded portion of the said screw rod, and a gear wheel driven from the unwinding gearing of the timepiece and having a hub provided with a polygonal bore in which slidingly fits the said polygonal portion of the screw rod.

6. An indicating mechanism for timepieces provided with an actuating rod hav-' ing a threaded port-ion and a polygonal portion, a lever engaging one end of the said screw rod, a spring-pressed pointer engaged by one end of the said lever, a gear wheel driven from the winding up gearing of the timepiece and having a threaded hub in which screws the said threaded portion of the screw rod, and a gear wheel driven from the unwinding mechanism of the timepiece and having a hub provided with a polygonal bore slidingly engaged by the said polygonal portion of the screw rod.

7 An indicating mechanism for timepieces, comprising a time graduation indicating consecutive hours beginning with zero, a polnter indicating on the said grad nation, a spring-pressed arm on the shaft of the pointer, a lever engaging with one end the said arm, a screw rod abutting with one end against the other end of the said lever, the screw rod having a threaded portion and a polygonal portion, a gear wheel having a hub provided with interior screw threads in which screws the said threaded portion of the said screw rod, a gearing connecting the said gear wheel with a gear wheel of the winding up mechanism of the timepiece, a second gear wheel having a hub provided with a polygonal bore slidingly engaged by the said polygonal portion of the screw rod, and a gearing connecting the said second gear wheel with a gear wheel of the unwinding mechanism of the timepiece.

8. An indicating mechanism for timepieces, provided with a screw rod and two gear wheels of which one is driven by the winding up mechanism of the timepiece and the other is driven by the unwinding mechanism of the timepiece, the said screw rod screwing in one of the gear wheels and having a sliding and turning connection with the other gear wheel, and an index con trolled by the said screw rod.

9. An indicating mechanism for timepieces, comprising a time graduation representing consecutive hours beginning with zero, a pointer indicating on the said graduation, a spring pressed arm on the shaft of the pointer, a lever engaging with one end the said arm, a screw rod engaging the other end of the lever, and two gear wheels one of which is driven by the winding up mechanism of the time piece and the other by the unwinding mechanism, the said screw, rod screwing in one of the gear wheels and being mounted to slide in the other gear wheel and to turn therewith.

10. An indicating mechanism for timepieces, comprising a time graduation representing consecutive hours, an oscillating pointer indicating on the said graduation, a spring pressed arm on the shaft of the pointer, a lever one end of which engages the said arm, a screw rod having lengthwise movement and engaging with one end the other end of said lever, a worm wheel having a hub, in which screws the said screw rod, a worm in mesh with the said worm wheel, a pinion on the spindle of the worm for connection with a gear wheel of the winding up mechanism of the time piece, a second worm wheel with which the said screw rod has a sliding and turning connection, a worm in mesh with said second worm wheel, and a pinion on the spindle of the second worm for connection with a gear wheel of the unwinding mechanism of the time piece.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OLAF EIVIND GISET.

Witnesses:

CHAS. F. GoLoMB, WALTER LUGRIN.

Copies of Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, I). C. 

